It's Not You, It's Me
by Leontine Welch
Summary: Mika Noku is the newest addition to Sweet Amoris High. She's beautiful, intelligent, and gets along with everyone - even Castiel - but her friendliness is all you'll really get. Will she ever get over her inability for romantic affection? Maybe a certain student body president could help her sort out that paperwork. Nathaniel x OC, Castiel x OC.
1. A Little Information Before We Start

_It's not a bad thing to like someone, Mika. _

People think that, just by looking and asking a few questions, they can understand something completely. Their curiosities are satisfied, and they do not venture past their own peace of mind.

_You just need to open up a bit more. Be a bit more affectionate. _

_You should have never turned down that hottie Dake during summer break! Girl, if I were you, I would have said yes in a heartbeat! _

In a way, a sincere desire to know someone can turn into a selfish feat. People only want to know what they want to know. And then, they judge. My, my, how they judge. Never do they think of spending a moment in my place. Maybe their subconscious is protecting them from the horror of it all: that my feelings don't know how to graduate from the friendship category. And because they have no conscious notion of my problem, they form me as a person who knowingly refuses any and every attempt of romantic bliss. A person who is too frightened by rejection and pain to take risks. A person who is, quite simply, naïve to the ways of love; a poor lass, always in need of another useless piece of relationship advice and a lecture, too, if the time fits.

Sometimes_ I just don't understand you, Mika._

Maybe that's because you don't really want to. But I don't blame you. It's your defense mechanisms.

Or how can I put this in simpler terms...

It's not _you_. It's _me_.


	2. The First Day

"It's all done? Everything? _Everything_? Even your ID card?!"

She was definitely surprised at my nods and even more surprised when I procured the ID card she had especially been hampering about. Eyeing the stack of papers in my hands with a unrestrained glee, the brown-haired girl with brilliant green eyes greets me with a wide smile.

"I like you already, Mika!"

Melody takes the papers from my hands. "All of your paperwork done! Amazing!" She laughed, smiling again - she seemed like a person who smiled often, but I could tell this smile was more or less a sort of rarity. She seemed really relieved to have a student who had everything at once, and I understood; having a new student over was already a hectic process, and the amount of paperwork had taken a week and a half to actively compile. It was ridiculous.

"Usually it's a nightmare, with new students and transfers," she explained with a tired smile, checking all of the papers one by one and stamping each sheet as I held the folder in my hands. "They never get anything signed on time and they get lost with trying to find their ID card. You know, it's a running joke here, but no one tells them that they have to go to The Dollar Store on 87th to get their card." She giggles, releasing my hands from the papers and setting the manila-foldered menace on the table.

"I'll tell Nathaniel to sort this out when he gets here. Student Council President, you know. He's always around." There was a sparkle in her eyes when she said his name, but a blush soon dusted her cheeks at the realization that she had shown a bit too much, and she quickly changed the subject. "Do you need any help getting around the school, Mika?"

I smiled sheepishly. I was very proud of saying that I never got lost anywhere, but this school was so big, and everything looked the same everywhere. The architects definitely had some fun creating a labyrinth for the school, to confuse new students, perhaps. Maybe it was part of the running joke. "I would really appreciate that," I sighed with a smile, honest.

"You called, boss?"

We both turned to see a tall girl with short bobbed purple hair and beautiful gray eyes hanging from the side of the doorframe, grinning widely. She was wearing a dark green T-shirt, jeans, and checkered Vans, and her hands were covered in interesting rings. The girl gave me a friendly smile, and I couldn't help but smile back.

Melody sighed in heavy relief, smiling. "Leontine. You're always here just when I really need you. I have to do something with the principal and Mr. Faraize, so I don't have the time to properly show her ar-"

"Easy, Melody, I know you're busy." Leontine stepped in the office. The headphones resting on her collarbones were pulsating with some music, but it was quickly set too low for me to recognize the song.

"So, you're Mika, right?" Her voice was smooth, sort of deep. It was interesting, and my ears immediately caught it and held on. "Heard that you were the new student. Transfer, if I'm not mistaken." She extended her slender hand to me. "Nice to meet you!"

I blinked in surprise, raising an eyebrow as I shook her hand quietly. "Everyone knows my name?"

"Of course! This school might be big, but once a piece of news gets here, rest assured every single student and faculty member will know before the bell rings for first period." She motioned. "Come on, let me show you around!" She grinned as we both walked out and she waved to Melody, soon coming back to me. "Just call me Leo, okay? You'll get tired of calling me Leontine, I promise. It's a mouthful sometimes."

With Leontine's simple, efficient explaining and a map she expertly drew, I was soon armed with enough knowledge to make my way around the treacherous pathways of this school. Although she didn't introduce me to the characters at school themselves, she did point them out. I immediately liked Leontine and made a note to ask for exchanging numbers after school. Her breezy, cool personality was a huge breath of fresh air from my "friends" back home, and when she introduced her friends - Kim, Rosalya, Iris, and Violet - to me, I found they had that same, relaxed nature. It was wonderful, how a stranger could be so careful with someone. This place really was something else.

"So I'm sure you've already been hounded on by friends about how lucky you are to be here?" We were walking a hallway soon to lead outside to the courtyard. "This school has the reputation for, uh... having fine examples of the male specimen." She winked as I chuckled a bit. "I know for a fact you're not here for that, though, and that's something I can totally understand. Be careful with the girls here, they can be really aggressive with you if they think you're "stealing their man" or whatever that means," she said with a scoff. "The Moron Trio, especially."

"Wait... You already know about my records?" I tensed a bit and got nervous. She must've seen the look on my face, because her eyes instantly became warmer.

"Nothing personal, of course, no, of course not!" My shoulders drooped in relief. Today really was a rollercoaster day. "But we do know you're an academic goddess," she said with a big smile. As we walked into the busy courtyard, Leontine went into her second round of introductions.

"Now, again, I'm only going to tell you - not actually introduce you. Whether you choose to talk to them is up to you, Mika. I'll try to pinpoint the best people to ask if you really need help."

I breathed a sigh of relief - I definitely had to ask for her number. She somehow knew exactly how I felt. She started motioning to some boys, describing them to me. Everyone was out in the sunlight, as it was a beautiful day and they were all chatting before class would start. I had to admit, the boys here were very beautiful, and there were quite a lot of them. Leontine only had the time to go over four or five.

"There's Dajan. He's an exchange student on a basketball scholarship, very friendly if you ask him politely, which won't be a problem for you! Then there's Lysander, he's into Victorian stuff and he's oh-so-mysterious, which I hate because he also dislikes curiosity." She rolled her eyes and I laughed at her explanations, amused. "Weirdo. He'll help whenever he can, so feel free to ask him anything. The red-head next to him is Castiel, one of my best friends. He's a hard-ass, though, so try not to ask him for anything. Better yet, don't. He'll give you a hard time and make you run circles all over the place, so you need something from him, tell me first. You'll always see those two together, they're very good friends. We had another student here, Kentin, but he was shipped off to military school. Really sweet, honest boy - my next door neighbor. We practically grew up together. He told me he'd be coming back soon, though, gotta check my email. And then, there's the last one, Nathaniel, but he's not here..." She looked around and spotted him, brightening. "Nathaniel! Just in time!"

A beautiful, blond young man with a manila folder came running up. "Leo!" He came up to his, his eyes bright from the exercise and the apparent happiness of having found us. He was dressed smartly - any person could have seen him and known he had a leadership position. "Thank you so much for showing her around, I really appreciate it. Mika, right?" He turned his golden-eyed gaze to me and, for a moment, I felt my heart stop. But maybe that was just me with my nervousness. I was already tired, and it wasn't even close to the start of the day.

"Mika Noku, yes" I said with a smile, deciding to pick up my black hair as the wind decided to mess it up. "Nice to meet you!"

"Same here," he breathed out with a grin, panting a bit from having run over. He rested his hands on his hips as he caught his breath. "I was looking all over for you guys! Almost ran a marathon chasing you two. Thanks again, Leo, I'll pay you back."

"If you can get that parking ticket from my car taken care of, then you're all set!" Leo laughed at the scowling expression he gave her and patted my shoulder. "I'll leave you with Nathaniel. Don't worry, you're in good hands. If you need help, he's your guy. Good luck, okay?" She gave me a warm smile and walked over to where Castiel and Lysander were.

Nathaniel looked back at me, tilting his head a bit as he watched me. "Hmm. Violet eyes. I've never seen those before." He cleared his throat, hiding. "Anyways, Melody told me that she's already briefed you and Leo already showed you around. Any questions or concerns, come to me." He seemed serious, but had a sort of kindness to his elevated nature. "Class is about to start soon. Let me walk you there before the bell rings and I'll let the teachers know to direct you to class, just in case."

His voice. It was making my heart beat slightly faster. I listened to his words intently, but those golden eyes hidden in between strands of soft blond hair were starting to make my lungs catch air. But it wasn't something that made me panic - it had its own sweet sort of pain. It was strange. Maybe I would ask Leontine when I would meet her for lunch.


End file.
